


Skylines and Pretty Dresses

by ruuinxs



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Boyfriends, Cutting, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forced Marriage, Future, Gay, Long-Distance Relationship, Lot’s of gay, M/M, Melancholy, Office, Office AU, Oikawa likes fashion, Older Characters, Self-Harm, Slice of Life, Tension lots of tension, abroad studies, breaking up, iwaoi - Freeform, more tags to come, work life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:21:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23987404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruuinxs/pseuds/ruuinxs
Summary: ”Oi, dumbass! Don’t laugh at me!””Okay, okay. Now, seriously. I mean, Hajime Oikawa is okay, but I do like Tooru Iwaizumi.””Stupid, then I wouldn't be able to call you Shittykawa.””Well I wouldn’t be able to call you Iwa-chan!””Whatever! It's not like I’d marry you anyway. We would have to be dating first.””Then I’m your boyfriend!”
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting on AO3, and I’m not the best writer, but I’ve really wanted to share some of my works. Sorry for any mistakes, this is unedited! Feel free to comment about any problems or feedback.

”Iwa-chan,” Oikawa suddenly spoke out, shattering the peaceful silence that hung in the late-spring air as two high school students made their way down a narrow pathway. The day would’ve seemed gloomy, seeing as clouds hovered in a blanket over the atmosphere, and fresh, little raindrops were falling from the sky. Despite the stormy weather, though, the day was beautiful to the first-year boys that walked shoulder to shoulder. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, pearly water droplets falling off the petals, amplifying the movie-like scenery.

Oikawa had always loved the peachy white hue of the flowers, leading him to often nag Iwaizumi to go on picnics and hikes, to which the other would respond with a solid ”no,” then proceed to find himself lying in a velvety bed of grass and fallen flower petals, a mop of brown hair and sparkling eyes beside him. 

“Hm?” was all Oikawa got in response to his utterance, a slight hum of acknowledgment. The pair were making their way towards a white, modern house, promptly arriving in front of it.

”When we get married, will I take your last name, or will you take mine?”

The abrupt question made Iwaizumi’s heartbeat increase at a terrifying rate. He wouldn't be surprised if Oikawa could hear it pounding from his position in front of the door, his hands shaking slightly as he fumbled to unlock the entrance. What made it pound harder was that Oikawa said it so confidently, as if it was a known fact and so obvious they'd be getting married one day.

”Shittykawa! Don't say stupid things you don’t mean!” Iwaizumi spewed, willing his voice not to crack. 

”Iwa-chan’s so mean! It was a genuine question,” the brunette whined as Iwaizumi succeeded in opening the door, gasping some much-needed air. 

Now that he thought about it, who would take the last name? Hajime Oikawa didn't sound too terrible, but he did like Tooru Iwaizumi just the same. 

”I don’t know, I like both,” he replied, eyes blowing wide as he realized his poor choice in wording. ”Not like I’d marry you, anyway! I just meant that they both sound good! I mean-“

As Iwaizumi was fumbling with his words, Oikawa was failing to contain the laughter bubbling in his throat.

”Oi, dumbass! Don’t laugh at me!”

”Okay, okay. Now, seriously. I mean, Hajime Oikawa is okay, but I do like Tooru Iwaizumi.”

”Stupid, then I wouldn't be able to call you Shittykawa.”

”Well I wouldn’t be able to call you Iwa-chan!”

”Whatever! It's not like I’d marry you anyway. We would have to be dating first.”

”Then I’m your boyfriend!”

The sudden outburst sliced through Iwaizumi’s body, petrifying him as Oikawa nonchalantly stood in front of him and waited for an answer. His eyes were glazed with an unidentifiable look as Iwaizumi tried to process the proclamation his best friend just made.

”Oikawa.”

”Yeah, Iwa-chan?”

”Say it again.”

”Iwa-chan?”

”No, dumbass! What you said before that.”

”Uh, I’m your boyfriend???”

”Again.”

”I’m your boyfriend. Why do you want me-”

”𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.”

”Let me be your boyfriend,” Oikawa whispered, his tone suddenly serious. Iwaizumi felt a warmth fill his hand, realizing that Oikawa had grasped it and was squeezing it tightly.

Oikawa had planned, but not for this. His intention was to ask a random question about marriage and learn from Iwaizumi’s reaction. When Iwaizumi reacted by being all flustered, Oikawa figured he could pry more. It was a mere joke to ask to be Iwaizumi’s boyfriend. He knew that there were girls always falling to his best friend’s feet, and that Iwaizumi was straight and they could brush off the joke later. This didn't mean Oikawa didn't like Iwaizumi, though. He had always liked Iwaizumi, ever since they were little boys on the playground catching bugs. Hell, Oikawa could almost say he loved him. So when Iwaizumi’s hand squeezed back, everything faded away, and Oikawa gave in.

”Iwaizumi. Let me be your boyfriend,” Oikawa repeated, the command echoing in Iwaizumi’s soul and forcing his lips numb. He stood there, rendered speechless as his best friend watched him through determined eyes. 

Iwaizumi didn't know what to do. He wanted to pull Oikawa closer to him, he wanted to hold him until the world ended. But there was the chance that Oikawa was joking, he always joked about something. What's different here? 

Oikawa wasn't smiling. His expression wasn't a teasing tongue sticking out of his mouth, or a smirk and raised eyebrows. That's what was different. He was being serious and sincere. 

Iwaizumi’s hand then subconsciously crept its way onto Oikawa’s back and up his spine. Iwaizumi’s tender movements sent a wave of chills to wash over his body like a weight crushing down on him. Overwhelming, but so tempting to be crushed with the sensations he felt.

”I’ll give you three seconds to take it back,” the raven-haired male spoke, his words drawing Oikawa back into reality, trying to save the last bit of rationality he had left.

Everything was hot for both of the inexperienced high schoolers. Their hands, still clasped together, were burning, and Iwaizumi’s other hand, which had made its way to Oikawa’s neck now, was scorching. Oikawa’s entire back was similarly burning from the previous touches left there. Regardless, the most oppressive part of it all was the heated puffs of breaths that escaped from parted lips, blowing on the other pair. 

Iwaizumi’s breath held the familiar scent of black coffee, something Oikawa constantly questioned him about, asking how he could deal with the bitterness. On the contrary, his breath smelled faintly of hot cocoa, the aromas of sweet and bitter clashing together as their lips drew closer.

Though Iwaizumi’s words attempted to organize Oikawa’s thoughts, it hadn't helped at all. Oikawa was unaware of how many seconds had passed before hastily attaching his lips to Iwaizumi’s.

It was messy and everywhere. Neither knew where to put their hands, so they kept them where they were. Their lips moved sloppily and hungrily, though they couldn't find the urge to care. It was perfect to them, and it was all they needed.

So they stayed there, satisfying their needs and all the tension that had been building between them ever since their first girlfriends and the volleyball games they'd been to together. Ever since they'd met and knew they wanted to stay together for the rest of their lives. 

When they had finally separated and their lips detached, they stood there, in each other's arms.

”Is that a yes?”

”I can take it back, you know.”

”Awww, you wouldn't do that to me though.”

”Yes I would.”

”I like you too, Iwa-chan.”

\-------------

Oikawa was reminded of this moment as he stood in the empty room where he shared his first kiss with Iwaizumi. He always had fond memories of this room now. The way the light would peek through the window and the soft, almost inaudible hum of the ceiling fan. The spare key, usually hidden under the rug, was no longer there. Ever since middle school, the extra was reserved for Iwaizumi’s pocket, since he was welcomed whenever he desired.

Oikawa finished slipping on his shoes and made his way to the door. He had previously received a text from Iwaizumi that told him to meet at the cafe around the corner. Iwaizumi wasn’t known for surprise dates, so it caught Oikawa off guard when he read the message. He figured it was just to talk about the University they were going to go to now that they were third years, though they had already discussed most of their plans. 

They were both going to go to the same University and share an apartment. This way, they get to see each other more and live together, which Oikawa was ecstatic about. 

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa called out when he spotted the familiar head of black hair sitting at a table in the corner.

”Ah, hey Oikawa,” he greeted. His voice held an inexpressible tremor to it, signaling that something was undoubtedly wrong. Oikawa tried to dismiss it though, knowing that when dealing with Iwaizumi’s moods, he should let him do the talking. Instead of mentioning the unsteadiness in his boyfriend’s words, he sat down across the table and waited for Iwaizumi to say what's on his mind. He gave his head a curt nod to show his boyfriend he was listening, extending his hand to grasp his boyfriend’s, only to have it pulled away to his side, Iwaizumi sucking in a breath.

”I’m going abroad.”

It was a short and honest sentence. Iwaizumi didn't try to cut a corner or curve around the subject. It was straightforward, and before Oikawa could open his mouth to say something, Iwaizumi cut him off.

”And my plane leaves in two hours.”

Now, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 was the sentence. This was the one that made a fervor rage blur Oikawa’s vision. The one that threw out all cries of reason, and the blank look in Iwaizumi’s eyes shot through his heart as he felt it leap into his throat.

”Two hours?!” he yelled, leaping out of his chair, resulting in a loud crash. The crash was followed by his clenched fists meeting the table.

”Two hours?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!? When was this decided?!”

”Calm down, Tooru!”

”No, I will not calm down! I will not calm down and I will 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 allow you to use my name again!”

His eruption was punctuated by him storming out of the cafe, tears running down his cheeks, pedestrians’ whispers and horns honking filling the air.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, but here! Also, I’ll make sure to put TWs and warnings before a chapter starts for anyone that needs it, so look out for those when it comes to a chapter. This is unedited!

Shit. Shit, shit, 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵. Iwaizumi messed up. Oikawa stormed out after he gave him the news. He couldn't explain anything, anything at all. He didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay with Oikawa. But he understood that, no matter what happened, or how he felt, he had to leave home. Oikawa was probably pissed.

And he was.

Oikawa’s ears were ringing. Iwaizumi’s words echoed through his skull, an overwhelming headache taking over his brain. How 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 he do that to him? ’Oh, yeah, last-minute change, I’m leaving the country in two hours and won't be back for God-only-knows when.

He flounced through the street and crowds of people walking, trying, 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, to ignore the tears streaming down his face. 

A part of him told him to run back, that he couldn't live without Iwaizumi. It was killing him, pulling him back to the little café they spent so many dates at, conversations and unspoken words of love. He wanted to run back, beg Iwaizumi to stay, to stay with him and not go, to keep going on dates and move in together and live the life they planned. That he 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥. 

The other part of him told him to run away. To just leave, abandon Iwaizumi because how could he do that to him? Just up and leave like that? He didn't understand. Everything was fine. At least it seemed fine- Oikawa began to doubt his certainty. Unable to regard tiny rememberings, everything appeared fine. 

Their last date was normal, the look in Iwaizumi’s eyes when they got a little to close for the same as always. 

What changed?

\---------

”He didn’t let me explain. He ran out, and didn't turn around. I called him and he didn't answer.”

”Don’t stress over him. You need to go, focus on studies, and come back. You’ll have forgotten all about him after a few years, trust me.”

”𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘦 8-13 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘕𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴,” a woman recited over the loudspeaker, saving Iwaizumi from the appalling conversation with his mother. 

”I’m leaving now, sweetie. I love you, have fun in France, make sure to call!”

”Love you too, mom.”

Iwaizumi lingered in his spot, trying to believe his mother’s words. She was right. He'd be able to forget Oikawa, he’d be able to move on and return home, a new life ahead of him. 

Which isn't what he was thinking as he plodded to gate 8-13, two suitcases at his hands and a bag slung over his hunched shoulder. All he could think of was Oikawa as he abode in the airport line, aching for it to hurry up. He looked down at his phone, promptly changing the song he was listening to. An optimistic, peppy tune came on, and he changed it again. Song after song, over and over. It pissed him off, and he was not having it. He stopped the music in general, not putting up with happy shit, because he was 𝘯𝘰𝘵 happy.

As he looked back up from his phone, trying to keep up with the line, his eyes glimpsed a familiar face. Oikawa stood there in the airport, panting and sweaty, staring Iwaizumi dead in the eye. 

Iwaizumi almost laughed at himself. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘮 𝘐?

He dismissed his silly hallucination, grabbing his suitcases once more and moving further along the line. 

”Sir. Sir? I need your ticket.”

”Huh?- Ah, yes, sorry,” Iwaizumi mumbled, struggling to not keep spacing out. He was unaware of his surroundings, just trying to get onto the plane and into his seat.

He found his isle, putting away his luggage and sitting in the appropriate seat. 

”Ah, sorry, may I get by?” a voice said from above, a pair of legs slightly shuffling info the row of seats Iwaizumi was positioned in. He moved his limbs closed to himself so the woman could get by, claiming the window seat. 

”So, what’s your name?”

Iwaizumi found her pitch very piercing and unflattering.

”I’m Sara!”

”Iwaizumi.”

”Cool! So why are you going to France.”

”Studies.”

”Uh, okay, I'm going to visit some family!”

”Yeah,” Iwaizumi said, finishing the exchange rather quickly. He wasn't going to put up listening to her, and he wasn't trying to be rude, but he really couldn't deal with stupid questions. He already knew it was going to be a long plane flight, why should it be any longer?

\---------

He had seen him. He noticed him, looked him in his eyes. And completely ignored him.

Oikawa held back as much as he could to not scream, to not yell Iwaizumi’s name. He'd say, ”Hey asshole, don’t fucking leave me like this!”

Actually, scratch that. He had 𝘸𝘢𝘺 more to say than just that. But how could Iwaizumi ignore him like that?

No, it didn't matter. Oikawa didn't care, shouldn’t care. If Iwaizumi was going to do this to him, fine! Two could play at that game. 

He spun on his heel, trudging himself out of the airport and willing himself to calm down. He opened the door to the car, slamming it closed. 

And he sat there, tears streaming down his face. It all hit him.

Iwaizumi was leaving. He didn't get to say goodbye, he didn't get to hug him. Fuck, the last words he said were ”I will never allow you to use my name again!” How stupid is that? Not ”I love you” or ”I’m going to miss you,” the last words he said were rather vile and cruel.

He threw his head onto the steering wheel, tears welling up in his eyes and falling onto his clenched hands. He shouldn’t be crying. His heart shouldn’t hurt so much, and he shouldn’t want to be with Iwaizumi. He shouldn’t be longing for him to saying “just kidding, I love you” or “I’ll be back very soon.” He shouldn’t want to punch his car window.

He shouldn’t want Iwaizumi to come back. It was Iwaizumi that left. It was him who wanted to leave that very day, not warning Oikawa about this at all.

How long had Iwaizumi been planning this? Now that he thinks about it, Iwaizumi could’ve been lying the whole time. About everything. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt Oikawa, so he pretended to like him? 

Oikawa didn’t know what was wrong or right anymore. All he knew was that he wanted to forget Iwaizumi completely. Forget him, leave him in the dust.

But he knew he’d never be able to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, sorry! I’m still finding out my writing pattern, and for now I believe it'll be short chapters w/ frequent posting? There is a TW for this chapter, and for the paragraphs that have it, there will be a * before and after those paragraphs. Sorry for the angst, there will be fluff and jokes eventuallyyyy {Also, I don’t want anyone saying on a future chapter “oh, that’s not a trigger warning though,” because no matter the intensity I respect people who might be set off by it. I also apologise for not putting warnings where you feel there should be some, so please tell me!}

Tᴡᴏ ʏᴇᴀʀs ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ...

“Babe. Babe, wake up.”

“Huh?” Iwaizumi eyes peeked open, a blinding light shining through white curtains. Wait, white curtains? Oikawa didn't have white curtains- 

His eyes came into focus, and he tried to recognize where he was, and who the person positioned beside him was.

He should feel a warmth radiating off the figure next to him, that feeling in his heart that makes him dizzy and sick, but in a good way.

But he didn't feel it. He couldn't. 

”Oikawa..?” he murmured, still half asleep and staring at the wall he was facing. ”Oikawa, since when we’re your curtains white? Did you paint back over them..” 

Iwaizumi kept slurring his words, unaware of what he was doing. ”Tooru..?”

He then felt a sharp pain in his cheek and a rough, calloused hand coming in contact with it once more. It definitely wasn't Oikawa’s hand, he could tell from the ridged skin that belonged to the hand. 

Oikawa’s hand we're smooth. They were soft and felt like feathers whenever they ghosted lightly over his skin, tracing patterns into his back when he was stressed or messaging his scalp when he had a headache. Those were Oikawa’s fingers, gentle but talented, working quickly and creating masterpieces with his art and never failing to make Hajime lose his mind.

So when he felt an unfamiliar hand slap his cheek twice, he was reasonably surprised. 

”You asshole! Who the fuck is this Oikawa! You’re cheating, aren't you?”

This part of the conversation is where he finally tuned in, the shock fading away.

”Well, that's fine! Yeah, it's fine. I slept with Haruto, so we’re even! He's way better in bed than you are, anyway. I’m leaving.”

𝘖𝘩. Yuuto, shit. Iwaizumi was unconsciously muttering 𝘖𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘶’𝘴 name, right next to his boyfriend. Oikawa fucking Tooru. 

Iwaizumi tried everything to forget him. Dating other people, sleeping around, going to the club as much as possible. He couldn't hold his liquor, though, so he never found himself drinking. 

Yuuto was someone he met at a local restaurant one day, and everything became rushed. Most of their relationship was just sex, and Iwaizumi couldn’t stand it, it wasn't what he wanted, but he’d do 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 to forget that stupid brown-haired boy. It’s been two years now, and he couldn’t seem to just erase the thought of him. 

Everything reminded him of that damn boy, with sparkling, curious eyes, and on the nights where those eyes were the only thing he saw, he couldn't handle it.

*No matter what it was, a blade, a pair of sewing scissors, a scrap piece of metal, anything he could get his hands on when he needed it. He knew it was a bad habit, dangerous and harmful and no good came with it, but he couldn't stop.

It was so tempting.

Iwaizumi may seem like a horror/gore person, but he surprisingly wasn’t. He hated blood and pain, and it made him sick, as well as a phobia of needles. He didn't know how he couldn't make himself bleed so freely, to break his skin so simply without being affected. It did hurt, yes. It stung, and sometimes stained his clothes, but he didn't care.

It helped distract him, even just a little bit, from the burning image of a bright smile and warm summer eyes. From the lingering kisses he could still 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭, all over his face as neck and hands and the one mole that he hated. He could feel it all, and it hurt so much worse than the slits on his thighs and ankles and wrists, it hurt because he missed it and he wanted it back so badly.* 

He knew how to hide them well, though. He had a few friends. He mostly worked on his studies, but found himself outside more than inside. 

Outside, with his camera and the trees and fields, he could clear his head. He could remember the long nights of staring at constellations and late-afternoon picnics under cherry blossoms. He took pictures of everything. People, insects, leaves with holes in them, shadows casting over abandoned streets, beautiful sunsets.

And that was his one good escape.

\---------

Oikawa, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He hadn't dated anyone else ever since Iwaizumi, silently suffering with the fond and nostalgic memories of Iwaizumi. 

*On especially bad nights, which were most weekends when he was trapped with his thoughts, all alone in his apartment, those bad nights, he’d down alcohol in misery until he didn't know where he lived or what his name was.*

Even so, no matter how much of the addicting liquid he consumed, no matter if he forgot 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, he couldn't forget Iwaizumi’s face. 

However, at his University, it was all hidden. His bad drinking habits, his lonely nights of crying and digging his palms into his eyes and nails into his scalp, wishing he could physically pull the memories out of his mind, just so he didn't have to wish Iwaizumi was there with him.

Forgetting Iwaizumi wasn’t the problem. He never wanted to forget him, he always cherished the affectionate moments he spent with Iwaizumi, every one of them. No, that wasn't nearly the problem. The problem was how much he missed Iwaizumi, how much he wanted to touch him, see him, 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘵, if he could hear even just his 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 he’d be happy.

Nobody saw this side of him. They saw the Oikawa, top of the class, King of the designing department, the young prodigy. And Oikawa held his picture, didn't talk about his past, made sure no one asked. 

He walked around campus, friends by his side, working hard on his studies and propelling forward in designing. Multiple industries already had their eyes on him, even though he was only in his second year of university, demonstrating just how talented he was.

Oikawa always had a thing for art. He could make art out of anything. Paint, old trash, newspapers, cloth and fabrics, chalk, mud on the sidewalk, where he’d squat and make a beautiful portrait of a woman with his own two hands. Naturally, he got into the designing department at his university and rose to the top.

He loved art, digital or physical objects, but he especially loved it making designs for clothes. Sewing, stitching, finding out the right fabrics and colour hues and layering. It was everything he did, everything he wanted to do.

And that was his way out of his own head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: paints my entire garage to procrastinate, as well as starting five new animes and two oneshots 
> 
> i just need to focus on one thing, but that’s not possible. sorry for the short chapter once again! i also don’t know anything about design, or photography, or a standard work place really- please don’t attack me, i don’t know what terms to use or what to do so i’m going with the flow. hope you guys eNjOYYyy {this is also unediteeddd ahhhhH}

Tʜʀᴇᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀs ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ..

”Boss, Haru says he won’t be able to make the deadline.”

”Again? Damn it, he's had all month? Is he doing okay?”

”Uh, I'm sorry to inform you, boss, but he will be resigning in a short time. His sister’s condition has gotten poorer, and he doesn't think a leave of absence will be very useful.”

”Agh, okay. Okay. Do we have any applicants who are willing to take the job?”

”Not yet, but we’re looking.”

”Okay, notify me when you receive an update.”

”Yes, sir.”

Oikawa leaned back in his office chair, throwing his hands over his face and sighing. The exhale was then followed by a loud groan, tangling his hands in his hair.

”Shit,” he breathed, setting his elbows back down onto his desk and staring at the pattern in front of him.

It was wrong, all wrong. The colours horribly clashed, and the arrangements were all wrong. Oikawa picked up his stylus, tapping on a little trash can sign in the corner of his tablet’s screen. 

Work was not going well for him. The only thing keeping him alive right now was his assistant, for one person had already resigned, now Haru, and his division was starting to fall short on staff.

Haru held the position of the photographer. Whether it was models, or mannequins, he would take the pictures and now he's leaving. If they didn’t have a replacement soon, even if it was just a provisional one, Oikawa was going to fall knee-deep in work.

He toiled all day, trying to find the right way to make the fabrics 𝘯𝘰𝘵 look 𝘵𝘰𝘰 horrible, and he couldn't wait until he could reunite with his bed. 

\-------

”Sir, I have your coffee.”

”Hinata, you can just refer to me as Oikawa if you please. And thank you.”

”Ah, uh, yes si- Oikawa. Shall I read the schedule for today.”

”Go right ahead.”

”You have a meeting with HQ at 11:00 today, and after that, there will be interviews for the new applicants in place of Haru. The interviews should be finished by 13:00. At 14:30, the head of the Shanwam Building will be arriving for a private discussion about November’s line. Haru is officially leaving the office on Friday, so the new member will be crossing over with him on the last day for a tour.”

”Ah, thank you, Hinata. You may go to eat breakfast now.”

Hinata nodded, scurrying out of the room. He wasn’t scared of his boss or anything, and he knew Oikawa saw them as equals even though he was his assistant, but Oikawa got scary when he was in a bad mood. He’d hunch over his desk and work until everybody else in the building were long gone, finishing a project that would usually take a week only in a few hours, not looking up from his tablet or saying anything until he was satisfied. Yeah, Oikawa was scary when he was in a bad mood. 

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows at the work in front of him. He has until November 1st to finish this entire ensemble. Two and a half months. That’s all he has left. It was definitely not enough time.

He had no inspiration whatsoever, and kept getting caught up in important meetings with company owners and executives as well as falling short on staff. Work just really seemed to hate him right now.

The eleven o’clock meeting came and went, most of the department leaders discussing their presentations and ideas for November. Oikawa was tumbling through the whole thing.

Although he was a mess, and he had almost no work done, he did do his job better than anyone at the building. He knew how to compose himself, how to manage his time, health, and work, and how to treat his coworkers. 

“Alright, everyone. Thank you all for attending, I hope we all do well on November’s presentation. Remember, we are the body's blood, flow smoothly and circulate oxygen so the brain functions normally. We can do this, work hard, have a great day everybody!”

A slur of agreements and goodbyes were spread through the crowd as each leader exited the conference room. 

“Oikawa,” Kuroo called out, grabbing the brunettes attention. 

“Yes, sir?”

“Have you found a replacement for Haru?”

“Mm, no, not yet. Interviews start in ten minutes, though, so I’ll inform you when we find the right applicant.”

“Alright, thank you Oikawa.”

Oikawa then watched as Kuroo made his way out the door. You’d expect the director of the unit to be strict, formal, and disappointed with Oikawa for the lack of progress, but he was actually the opposite. He was silly and joked around a lot, as well as loud and social. The reason that there’s so many contracts between his unit and others is because of his friendliness and compatibility levels with anyone. Plus, his charm was outstanding.

————-

“Hello. I’m Mei Suzuki. I am 26 years old and have been doing photography since I was 19. I have no experience with models, but I do have experience with scenery and lighting. This is my résumé.”

Oikawa peered at the file held in his hands. The applicant was average, and her work was above normal standards, but Oikawa was unsure of how well she would do with the work environment and photographing models. She was skilled, but her talents didn’t seem fit enough for the task of the job.

It was the third interview. Oikawa wouldn’t say he was hating it, but he was getting impatient. His mind was picking away at himself, worrying about completely unimportant things. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳? 

Once the woman had left, he sat back in his chair and groaned at the ceiling. He dropped his head again, hanging it lowly and hunching his shoulders as he stared at the file next to him. He opened it for the sixth time that day, staring at the beautiful portfolio of people in the streets, the sunset on a beach, and, Oikawa’s personal favourite, the galaxy of stars and swirls of beautiful colours in the middle of a forest. This was the most promising candidate so far in his opinion, and he was getting antsy to meet them. 

There was a knock on his door, leading him to assume it was the final interviewee for the day. 

“Come in. I’m just putting away some papers.”

Oikawa could hear the figure walk in and take a seat across from him, his back turned towards the metal drawers as he put away notices and directions for unimportant and irrelevant work.

Oikawa finally made his way towards his seat, looking at the face displayed in front of him. 

“Hello, I’m Iwaizumi Hajime.”

Oikawa cleared his throat, rather loudly, and nodded in return to the greeting. 

Iwaizumi fucking Hajime.

Oikawa’s face was pale, and he looked sick. The man sitting across from him, though, looked completely unfazed, his expression not faltering. Did he not remember Oikawa? 

“Yes, hello.”

“I’m 24, I have been doing professional photography since I was 14, and I work well with any situation needed.”

As if Oikawa didn’t already know this. What he 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 know was that Iwaizumi was back in Japan, or why the hell Iwaizumi was pretending he didn’t recognise Oikawa. Or maybe he really didn’t? Oikawa had no clue, and it was tearing him apart.

“I’m very impressed with your work,” Oikawa said, trying to not seem as stiff as he looked. He figured asking empty questions he already knew the answer to would fill in that professional side of him. “Do you work well with others? How flexible is your schedule? Sometimes, deadlines are too close and you’ll need to work overtime.”

“I would consider myself sociable, and my schedule is open. I’m always free for overtime or extra work, unless I were to call in,” Iwaizumi responded coolly, his face still staying stone hard. It scared Oikawa to some extent, the fact that Iwaizumi could be so well out together despite them sitting face to face.

It scared him a lot.

———-

“Oikawa? Have you decided your choice to fill Haru’s position?”

“I’ve narrowed it down, thank you Hinata. Would you like me to walk with you to the exit?”

“I would be delighted if you did so.”

Oikawa stood up, grabbing his bag and sighing. He heaved his way to Hinata, joining him as they walked into the elevator. 

“Alright, Hinata. Have a good night, you may come in late tomorrow, you’ve been working hard lately.”

“Ah! Uh, thank you! I will get a lot of rest and work hard tomorrow as well!”

Oikawa smiled at Hinata, making his way to the car parked in the garage. He had a lot to think about. 

Was Iwaizumi really pretending to not know him? Or did he forget all about him? Oikawa should forget too. He should forget, and pretend nothing had happened, like they’d never known each other. Then it would be fine if he hired him, right?

It was painfully obvious that Iwaizumi was the best choice to go with, but Oikawa did not want to hire him at any means. Him and Haru worked together a lot, considering their places and roles in the team. Would he have to talk to Iwaizumi a lot, too? He didn’t want to, but he knew that his work would propel them, and it almost matched perfect to Haru’s skills and talent. 

Oikawa had no idea what to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick explanation- so, this is sort of an au, but also not? Iwa and Oikawa did meet just as in the manga/anime, and played volleyball until highschool, but i guess the only different thing is that the characters from other teams hadn't met them- make sense? sorry it's confusing hahah

“Mattsun, what the fuck?”

“I didn’t know! I’m sorry. Did you at least get the job? Did you guys talk at all?”

“Well, he said he’d ‘notify me on further updates regarding my hiring,’ but I doubt he’d hire me if he remembers me, right? Dammit.”

“Haru just told me about his problem, I thought I could help you finally get a job. You can’t be living off your savings for the rest of your life. You said it yourself.”

“Yeah, I know, I know. It’s just,” Iwaizumi threw his head back as he sat on his friend’s couch, groaning. “Fuck. Do you know how hard it was to 𝘯𝘰𝘵 go insane in that room?”

“You’re just really gay for him, Iwaizumi. Admit it.”

“Hahah, very funny.”

Iwaizumi stood up starting to pace the room again. Oikawa was 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 ten times hotter, especially that suit he was wearing. And his voice was absolutely breath-taking, he still couldn’t get over the silky, honey tone. But Iwaizumi couldn’t even talk to him about anything! Not a “Hey, sorry for not telling you I’m back,” or even a “How have you been?” 

“Iwaizumi, listen. You know that you’re going to have to talk to him one way or another.”

“I’ll just tell him I can’t take the job.”

“After all I went through? Man, you’re cruel.”

“What else should I do?”

“I don’t know, work things out? You’re the one who fucked him, not me, you should deal with it yourself.”

“Wow, thanks a lot for that reminder.”

“Any time.”

Once Matsukawa had kicked Iwaizumi out, unable to listen to the other’s whining anymore, Iwaizumi made his way to his own apartment. It wouldn’t be considered luxurious, but it was what Iwaizumi had and he dealt with it. It wasn’t the cleanest street or brightest building, and it was rundown. He just made do, though, and the owner was quite nice whenever they ran into each other, usually in the morning when he went out for a run.

He unlocked the door to his room, smelling the familiar stench of burning cigars. He trudged to his bedroom, throwing down his bag and making his way to the closet in the corner. He opened the creaky door, reaching up and grabbing the box on the second highest shelf, trying not to drop the heavy item.

He heaved it down successfully, resting it on the edge of his bed and cracking open the cardboard. Inside, the contents, laid spread out and stacked neatly, everything clear and revealing themselves. Iwaizumi reached into the box grabbing the pile of photographs and cut out magazine outfits, models, and scenery. 

The first photo lying on the top was faced downward. Iwaizumi didn’t remember the order he put the photos in, who really would? So, he flipped over the first photograph, and the rest of them scattered everywhere. The face of a high school Oikawa was staring at him, as well as his own younger face, both boys smiling brightly as they stood on a balcony in suits and ties. 

Graduation day.

He had his mom take the picture, remembering almost everything as he stared at the laminated paper in his hands. 

Him and Oikawa, wearing matching suits, walking up on the podium, shaking hands with the principal and president of the school board. They were crying, sobbing. Happy and sad, and terrified of going out into the real world. But they still walked out the school gates, arms around their shoulders, getting ready for university.

Iwaizumi bent down, picking up all the other photos he dropped, sliding the first one to the back of the stack. The next one was of a cherry blossom tree, the one after, a picture of a single cup of coffee in a rainy window. He kept shuffling through them, photo after photo, remembering each story behind them. Then an idea hit him.

He grabbed a string and some glue, as well as some tape. He arranged the photographs in a line, adhering the string to each piece. He took it by both ends, placing it above the headboard of his bed. 

It looked nice, and made the crappy room better than it was. He would also cover the chipped paint with posters from bands and more pictures and paintings, and had beautiful, soft rugs on the floor to cover the stains on the wood. He changed the curtains on his window sill and placed some succulents there.

He could make do with this life, yes. But it was starting to get harder and harder.

————-

“Hinata, what do I do?” Oikawa practically whined, throwing his head back and shutting his eyes tightly. “We need him! He’s perfect for the job, and he matches all the requirements! But I might just die if I have to see his face again!”

Hinata, looking a little concerned for his boss, had been told the situation Oikawa was in, and now had to deal with the stressed man.

“You said he acted like he didn’t know you, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe go along with it? If he doesn’t remember you, there’s nothing to worry about, right? And then maybe you’re relationship will get strong again as coworkers, and it won’t be so bad. But that’s just an idea!”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, thank you Hinata.

Hinata nodded, turning around to exit Oikawa’s office, when he came face to chest with Kageyama, the editor. 

“Ah! I’m so sorry!!”

“Watch where you’re going,” he replied in a harsh tone, but when he saw Hinata holding his nose, his voice softened. “Did you hit your nose hard? Sorry, I’ll get you ice. Be careful next time.”

Oikawa watched in utter amusement as Hinata’s face burned up, knowing full well of the unbelievable tension between the two. He chuckled to himself, glad to be distracted for a minute, but not for too long. He had to choose by 16:00 who he was going to hire, or else Kuroo would do it for him, and he was sure to choose Iwaizumi. 

The other problem he prevailed to be struggling with was the fact that the shipping of needed materials was being delayed to next week, which was pushing his work far back. There was apparently a mix up in paperwork due to some imbecile, and the materials were delivered to another industry.

And he had yet to finish the initial base of this goddamn project.

The day went by quicker than he wanted, watching the clock as he shuffled through the resumes and stalled his answer. He shot his head up when he heard a knock at the door, ad found Kuroo standing there. 

“Have your answer?”

Oikawa shook his head, not sure if he should tell his boss why it was such a hard decision.

“Just say it, it’s obvious there’s something blocking up,” the director asked, inviting himself into Oikawa’s office and sitting in the chair across from him. Oikawa pinched himself lightly, a nervous habit he had, playing with his words in his head.

“Well, I want to hire Iwaizumi. The problem is, he’s my-“ Oikawa started, but halted in the middle, realizing that Kuroo didn’t know he was gay. What if he was homophobic? 

“He’s an ex, isn’t he?”

The brunette stared at his boss, baffled. 

“What? You’re obviously gay, and the way you say his name is absolutely painful. I’m pansexual, so don’t worry about it. Though, I am a bit disappointed that that’s getting in the way of work. Hire him, he’s good, and if you have any problems, I’ll handle it. Okay?”

“Uh, right!” Oikawa responded, starting to question how Kuroo knew he was gay. Was it that obvious? He tried to forget it, staring at the information sheet and dialing Iwaizumi’s number. That’s when he remembered that it that obvious? He tried to forget about it, grabbing his phone and dialing Iwaizumi’s number written on the information sheet. That’s when he realized that his number was still the same as it had always been. He had his contact still saved as “Iwa-Chan” with a blue heart next to it, remember that when Iwaizumi left, he hadn’t called him or changed the contact or anything.

The same went for Iwaizumi.

————

Iwaizumi stared confused at his phone, the contact display reading “My Shittykawa.” He internally screamed at himself for the cheesy name, answering the phone and making a mental note to change the name later.

“Yes, hi, is the Iwaizumi Hajime?”

The sound of Oikawa’s voice saying his name lit a fire in his chest, trying to prevent stupid thoughts from forming. This was about work, it’s not like they were going to have a normal conversation or anything.

“Yes, this is.”

“I’m pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the position ASI Co., and will be starting work the following Monday. Please come into the office on Friday for a tour and thorough explanation of the job you will be performing, as well as you schedule for the current month.”

“Yes, thank you.”

And then it was gone. Oikawa’s voice was no longer on the line, and now Iwaizumi didn’t know what to do. He needed this job, but he knew working in the same place as Oikawa was going to be distracting. He sighed, going to his contacts and changing the name to “Boss”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH GOD THIS IS SOOOO LATE IM SO SORRRYYYY  
> aight so life has been sucky for me so im sorta freelancing and writing when i want but im really sorry this is so late ive practically been staying up till 4 crying and listening to cavetown while i contemplate my liFE BUT HERES THIS CHAPTER ENJOY AHHBGEIUABGUB

“Hi! I’m Haru, you’ll be taking my place from here on out.”

Iwaizumi greeted the so-called Haru, shaking his hand as he introduced himself back. The tour was pretty quick, an overview of the offices and where he’d be spending most of his time, as well as the break room and meeting his new coworkers. No smoking indoors, no disrespective language to others, and other rules were ,mentioned, normal work rooms. “Ah, also- If you are going to visit the boss, he prefers you don’t come uninvited, and if its urgent, knock. Otherwise he’s a carefree guy, as long as you don’t disrupt his work.”

He nodded to Haru’s statement, knowing how focused and intense Oikawa would get when he was working on something. He received his schedule and a key to the storage room for the sakes he needed it.

“You have your own equipment, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. For photoshoots, you’ll be using the studio’s cameras, but for any other deadlines and assignments, you’ll use your own. If it breaks, work will provide a temporary one. I’m sure you’ve already heard, but boss will need many reference photos or portraits for his designs, and that will fall into your hands. That’s it!”

“I was unaware, thank you,” Iwaizumi politely said, but he was really cursing at himself. He did not want to have to be any closer to Oikawa than he already had to get, and this was going to make it so much harder for him to work. Once all the exchanges had been made, and everyone said goodbye to Haru, who received lots of gifts, Iwaizumi was officially ready to be set up in his office.

“Uhm,” he heard someone mutter behind him from the door frame. “Hi! I’m Yachi! I brought these for you as a welcome gift. I’m a bit new here, too, so I hope we can get along well!”

Iwaizumi nodded and gratefully took the basket of fruits, chatting a little while with his new coworker. They were discussing the schools they went to when there was a cough at the door.

“Hey guys, just came in here to let you know, Iwaizumi, you can either stay the rest of the day and get used to the workplace, or go home. It’s up to you, but as long as you’re here Monday at 8 sharp. Yachi, Hinata needs help with some paperwork, you guys work well together so it’d be best if you help him for now.”

Yachi agreed quickly, making her way out the room, Iwaizumi following behind. Oikawa stared as Iwaizumi walked away. He felt so out of reach, like he would never be able to stand side by side with him.

————

“Good morning, Iwaizumi!”

“Morning, good morning,” Iwaizumi said as he walked down the office, greeting the people around him. Monday morning, 8 sharp. Because he was new, there was a starter project he was supposed to complete to show his expertise in a workplace like this. It was like that test you had at the beginning of school to see what level you’re at.   
All he had to do was capture some simple photos and crop them properly, a fairly simple task. He was halfway through the project when an unfamiliar faced stood at his door, asking him if he wanted to each lunch. He assumed he was a coworker, so he followed into the cafeteria and saw his department sitting in a group. He made his way towards them when he got his food, joining the conversation. 

“Hey, boss, you taking anyone?”

“Ah, no, I’ll be by myself,” Oikawa said as he chuckled shyly. 

“To where?” Iwaizumi asked as he set down his tray, taking a seat next to Yachi.

“There’s an autumn festival this Thursday, and you can bring your spouse or partner. If you don’t have anyone to take, I can set you up with someone!” another guy across the table explained, Iwaizumi shaking his head.

“I already have someone, thanks,” he countered. Oikawa looked up from his meal, wondering what Iwaizumi meant. Did he mean Oikawa, he already had Oikawa? Was Iwaizumi talking about Oikawa? He smiled to himself, going back to eating as everyone else talked. He wasn’t over Iwaizumi at all, and now he was starting to realize it.

————

Oikawa looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a white, button down shirt with a pair of slacks and a jacket to go with it. Simple, well put together. He could do this.

“Boss! Hi!” the guy at the front door welcomed as he crossed off Oikawa’s name on his list, opening the door for the brunette. There was a soft red glow, fall decorations all around, couples mingling and light chatter filling the room. The buffet table was nearby, and Oikawa figured he’d hit it after saying hi to everyone. He faintly heard the call of Iwaizumi’s name, sliding through the pairs to see his department members.

“Hello, Yachi,” he heard the rough voice say.

“Oh? Who’s this?” Yachi asked curiously as Oikawa arrived in the group.

“Right, this is my fiancé.”

Oikawa snapped his head towards Iwaizumi to find a woman with her arm wrapped around his. She had a short bob and a tight dress on, draped over Iwaizumi like she would never let anyone touch him. His heart dropped.

“Ah, hello boss! Did you try the sandwiches at the buffet? They’re amazing.”

Only one thing ran through Oikawa’s mind. The word fiancé.

“Boss?

“No. No, I already ate.”

Truth was, he had lost his appetite.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dAmNNnnNN its been so long since i posted pLLLSSSS FORGIVE MEEEEE i finally got over my weird writer's block and im now writing like a maniac i think im going insane??? *THIS CHAPTER HAS A MINOR TRIGGER WARNING. FOR ANYONE WHO HAS ISSUES WITH MENTIONS OF DRINKING AND ALCOHOLICS, PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION*

“You must be Oikawa! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

No. No, it was not a pleasure to meet Iwaizumi’s fiancé, fuck no. Oikawa shook her hand, pulling back quickly because her nails were sharp. Might as well be what had stabbed him through the heart at that second. 

She had a soft tone, however, and seemed to get along great with everyone, so Oikawa really had no reason to act vile towards her. Iwaizumi, on the other hand, seemed extremely uncomfortable with the way she was all over him, her arm wrapped with his as she played a game of one sided footsie.

It was sickening to watch. Iwaizumi shifted his weight on his feet, a nervous habit he had when he couldn’t sit down— Oikawa knowing because, well, it was Iwaizumi— and he had a bubbling urge to punch this woman.

“Hello Oikawa,” a deep voice behind him said. He jumped at the sudden voice and hand on his shoulder as Kuroo burst out into laughter, hand over his stomach, bent over himself. The rest of the present party chuckled as well, Oikawa flustered that he was scares so easily, and by Kuroo of all people.

“You’re hilarious. Hello, you must be the future Mrs. Iwaizumi?” Kuroo announced after he finished his fit of laughter, his attention now turned to Iwaizumi and his fiancé, politely greeting the couple. Oikawa watched as everybody talked, whether it was about previous projects or new ideas, he was tuning it all out and stared blankly at everything around him.

Iwaizumi wasn’t his, he had to remember that. Iwaizumi and him had broken up, he had run away and they hadn’t talked again. Hajime was clearly over the whole affair— seeing as he was getting married soon— and Oikawa clearly had to move on.

Simple as that. He broke out into a fake coughing fit, breaking his waist over himself and bringing his hand to his mouth. Kuroo turned towards him, a concerned look on his face.  
“Tooru?” he asked quickly, a hand reached out to grab at his arm and help him. Oikawa shot his eyes upwards at Kuroo’s, a split second of eye contact, before he continued his coughing. Kuroo seemed to catch on a second later, and the two made their way to the door and outside, where all the music faded out and the distant chatter turned into slurring voices. Oikawa stood upright, arms crossed and gripping tightly to the opposite shoulders. He was shaking violently, on the verge of falling over before Kuroo grasped onto him again.

“Tooru, are you okay?”

Oikawa looked over his shoulder to see Kuroo, and tears started to slip down his face, illuminated by the soft glow of the street lights. He shook his head subtly, instantly turning around and allowing Kuroo to bring him into his arms as he cried harder. Kuroo may have been his boss, but he was also his friend; even though it was embarrassing, he would understand.

“I can’t believe he’s getting married, Tetsu,” he sobbed out, buried further into Kuroo’s suit. The latter just kept his arms enclosed around the brunette, head rested on top of the other’s.

“Tooru, I know it’s hard. I know. Do you need me to call you a taxi? Want me to take you home?” Kuroo asked carefully. Oikawa faltered for a second, as if time stopped, and then he nodded.

“Please take me home.”

————

Oikawa stumbled into his apartment with Kuroo’s help, who helped take off their shoes, guiding them to Oikawa’s couch. An empty beer bottle sat on the coffee table, Kuroo glancing at it skeptically as he sat on the cushions with Oikawa in his arms. The sobbing male curled up against Kuroo— his jacket now discarded— and he wrapped his arms around Oikawa once more.

They sat there for a while longer until Oikawa’s breath evened out and his tears started to dry.

“Hey, Tooru, I’m going to go, okay? Make sure to get some sleep.” 

Oikawa all but noticed, only shifting a little after Kuroo stood up and grabbed his keys. He continued to stare at the spot on the floor a few minutes after Kuroo pat his head and left. A harsh shiver ran down his spine, his gaze now averted to the empty beer bottle from earlier, and he stood up in enlightenment. Making his way to his fridge, he stubbled over himself and wiped at his eyes and sniffled, a complete mess.

With bottle now in his hand, he struggled to open it, a wrestling match taking place between him and the bottle, and he was interrupted by a knock on his door. He yelled something incoherent, soon realizing the person didn’t understand him, and retorted to something along the lines of “come in.”

Kuroo walked through the doorway to see Oikawa back at it with the bottle, trying to open the damned thing, and he got more and more desperate, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks and loud sobs heard. Kuroo rushed to his side, joining this whole game, and pulled the bottle away from Oikawa.

“Tooru!” he exclaimed, only to have Oikawa reach up and try to take back the bottle.

“Oikawa Tooru, snap out of it! What are you doing?” 

Oikawa’s eye widened as he came to his senses, and he fell to his knees.

What was happening to him?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been like a million years since i posted im sorry :’) My posting schedule will be whack cause of school and my mental health n shits, so ye. trigger warning for this ch: smoking and drunk sex

This is where he ended up after that whole fiasco. A hand on his waist, another rested on his chest, both gripping and massaging at his skin. It was a mistake, really.

There was a normal work dinner, all his coworkers and employees there, a simple meal as everyone talked business. It started when someone recommended going to a bar.

Kuroo shot a glance towards Oikawa across the table, but Oikawa made sure that Kuroo didn’t know he noticed. The majority of the party agreed to the proposal, everyone hopping in their cars and driving to the nearest bar, some unknown name covering the check for everybody as a treat. Oikawa downed as many shots as he was offered— everyone did, it was a celebration, after all— and soon enough a group of grown men and women were sitting tipsy and drunk in a bar. Someone danced on the table and started belting, and another passed out on the floor. Quite a mess, really.

Oikawa was ready to get out of there, he knew he was, but the number of consumed drinks ate away at his conscious, so he couldn’t even walk, let alone drive. He figured he could get Kuroo to drive him back, and after a few pleads and whines, Kuroo gave in. His apartment wasn’t too far away, but Oikawa was far, far too wasted to know where he was. On the ride home, he sobered up just enough to talk and rant about nothing.

Kuroo, being tipsy himself, just started going along with him, throwing in his own problems here and there. The second he pulled into the parking space— crooked, of course— he slammed his head on the steering wheel. Oikawa stared, unsure of what to do. They both walked out the car; angry, frustrated, drunk adults cursing out the quiet world, raising their middle fingers up at no-one in particular- maybe a god of some sort that made their life so horrible.

They stumbled clumsily into Oikawa’s apartment, and that’s when it happened. The second the door was closed and their shoes were off, they grabbed at each other and attached at the lips. It felt so incredibly wrong, to both of them, but they continued nonetheless. And that’s how he ended up here. 

Oikawa, on his back, under his boss, who was biting at his inner thighs and letting his hands linger everywhere they touched. He was lost in pleasure and the buzz of his head, blinded by his ceiling light above him while Kuroo continued working downwards. He gasped when he felt long fingers grab at him, and he tossed his head to the side into his pillow. It went on the rest of the night.

So, when Oikawa woke up to see Kuroo, his best friend and boss, lying naked on his bed, he couldn’t help the dreaded groan that escaped his lips. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked around. The room had discarded clothes and dirty sheets on the floor, and he felt sticky and dirty. He trudged his way to his bathroom and showered, hoping that it would wash away the thoughts of last night.

——

“You moaned his name,” Kuroo said after they had sat down and started breakfast. It was the first time either of them had talked that morning, and anxiety bubbled in Oikawa’s chest.

“I what?”

“His name. Iwaizumi’s. You moaned it last night.”

Oikawa’s face flushed in confusion and embarrassment.

“W-Well, I was drunk! And don’t you dare think I didn’t hear Kenma’s name slip past your lips!”

After that, they sat in silence for another long, drawn out moment. 

“I’m sorry-“

“You don’t have to be sorry, Tooru.”“Yes, I do! I was drunk and stupid and thought it’d be a good idea, but 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵. We’re best fucking friends, Tetsu. And we slept together, both HATED it, so goddammit, now what?!”

“I agree, but you need to calm down! We need to handle this properly. Nothing was verbally consensual but we both had interest in it, even if drunk, so how you do you feel? Are you scared of me? Do you feel uncomfortable around me? I will respect however it is, okay, and I feel you should do the same, so let’s talk about it, okay?”

“I don’t feel scared or uncomfortable, I mean, we both understand it was a mistake, and that we won’t do it again, I just feel.. bad, I guess? I slept with you, when you have you shit going on with Kenma and I have my shit going on with Iwaizumi. The whole thing was so uncalled for and I shouldn’t have been so stupid.”

“I understand that, Tooru. I feel guilty too.. but do you think we’ll be okay? I don’t want to act like it didn’t happen, but I feel like it shouldn’t 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 our relationship. I’ll be okay, but will you?”

Oikawa took a deep breath, inhaling sharply, and held his breath.

“Yeah, I think I’ll be okay.”

——

“Sir!”

“Hey Hinata- and I won’t tell you again, you can just call me Oikawa- but what do you need?”

“Uhm.. I feel this may be unprofessional, asking my boss for advice in something non-work related, but… Kageyama and I are going on a date this weekend, and I was wondering if I should get him something,” Hinata explained shyly, fingers intertwined with each other, a blush on his face. Oikawa gave him an unintentional, melancholy smile, and nodded at him.

“He likes milk, right? Maybe get him some milk bread. You’ve got this.”

Hinata nodded in response. Oikawa sighed and smiled. He remembered all the days and weeks he worried about what to get Iwaizumi for his birthdays and their d- Why was he thinking about this?

“Fucking shit..” He muttered to himself with his head in his hands.

——

“Oi.”

“WHAT THE FUCK- Shit you need to stop scaring me like that.”

“Why the-“ Mattsun made a motion with his fingers together “-cigarette.”

“Eh, I don’t know.”

“You hate cigarettes.”

“They suck. And taste bad.”

“Then why the fuc-“

“I don’t know! I don’t know, okay?”

Mattsun sucked on his teeth and followed it by clicking his tongue. He shook his head and snatched the little thing from Iwaizumi’s fingers before making a motion to throw it off the balcony. 

“Oi, you’ll set the place on fire.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s burning right now,” Mattsun said wittily, shoving the cigarette into the ash tray and then throwing the burnt out cigarette at Iwaizumi’s face.

He stood there for a while, at the door of his crappy apartment balcony wondering what the hell Mattsun meant and why he seemed so pissed with him about it.

——

The piercing alarm woke up Iwaizumi- not that he fell asleep in the first place- and he groaned himself out of bed and got ready for work. He didn’t want to go; actually, he never wanted the job in the first place, but the pay was great and he needed the money. He brushed his hair with his hands and threw on some slacks and a button down shirt. The outfit wasn’t really his style, but the workplace did have a professional policy, which made sense, seeing as it was a fashion institution.

The ride over wasn’t bad, and the bus was mostly empty, giving him space to clear his head before he entered the office. He had the urge to grab a cigarette, not knowing why, but the bus was a no smoking zone. Before he knew it he was at the glass building, staring at the reflection of the sky in the windows, and had the sudden idea to take a picture of it. The lighting was great, really, and he reached for his camera. Then he saw him.

Oikawa stood there, a smile on his face, talking to the little redhead Iwaizumi had met the previous day. He sucked on the inside of his cheek, and snapped a picture of the building. He glanced down at his camera, and subconsciously put it to face, staring through the lens directly at Oikawa bright fucking smiled, and he took a picture. He mentally slapped himself and shoved the camera into the case, hurrying into the office before Oikawa could catch a glimpse of him.

“Good morning, good morning!” the pitchy voice announced to the workers, and a collection of “good mornings” echoed back at Oikawa. Iwaizumi stared at his computer screen, quickly editing the photo he took in the morning- the one of the building, not Oikawa- and he clicked his tongue before adjusting the left corner.

“Wow, Iwaizumi! That looks great! A quickie before work?”  
Iwaizumi slapped himself, literally this time; Why the fuck was Oikawa here? The name sounded weird to his ears. Was that joke intentional? He sighed to himself, quiet, and nodded, urging himself to smile. Oikawa patted his shoulder before going to mingle with another worker and heading to his office.  
Today was going to be a long day.

——

“Testu! Hey!”

“Hey Tooru, how ya doing? Everything going okay?”

“Actually, yeah. Have you seen Hinata? I need him to grab some papers from me from the third floor, but I haven’t seen him around.”

“Hm? Oh, I’m pretty sure there’s a meeting he needed to attend. Kageyama’s hosting it and invited the little chibi-chan to help him out.”

“That makes so much sense. They’re getting close, y’know? You think they’ll get in trouble?”

“Depends how well they act at work. Anyway, the papers?

“I’ll head down myself I guess, wanna come with?”

“Sure! I also need to talk to you about Friday’s due date for your initial start off, got time to grab a coffee in the cafe?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

——

“Iwaizumi-san! Hi!”

“Good morning.”

“Want to grab a coffee with me real quick? You know you don’t have to work during lunch break, right?”

Iwaizumi glanced nervously at his project in front of him, and stared back at his coworker, and figured he could use some coffee.

“Yeah, I’ll head down with you, I guess.”

——

The cafeteria was bigger than he expected, and he wondered how people actually found their way in the same of food and the smells, and suddenly he remembered right, everyone here is rich. He silently tanked the Mattsun gods, helping him get this job. He then spotted him, again, the brown tuffs of hair neatly brushed against his head and his eyes glimmering as he spoke to someone next to him enthusiastically. 

The man had a sharp jawline, and spiky black hair that stuck out in weird places but looked weirdly neat and put together. Oikawa smiled at something he said, and responded with slapping him lightly, and oh, Iwaizumi remembers that. 

Oikawa had these silly little slaps, weak and petty, but his long fucking nails always found a way to scratch you. 

“Iwaizumi-san?”

“Huh?”

“You okay? You’re spacing off.”

“Oh! Sorry, I’m fine, just thinking about.. my fiancé.”

“Ooooh, that’s right! You’re engaged! So, how’d you too meet?”

“Uh, it was a blind date kinda thing. Our parents know each other.”

“You guys close?”

“Not re- I mean yeah, of course, I love her.”

“Are you guys sharing an apartment or have you bought a house yet?” the coworker mentioned in a suggestive tone.

He found these questions starting to get strangely 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, and he sipped his coffee and stayed silent. His coworker looked confused for a second, but didn’t push it too far, luckily.

“Anywa-“

“Hey guys!”

“Oh my fucking god you need to stop appearing behind me like that-“

Iwaizumi and Oikawa stared at each other wide-eyed for a moment, but he cleared his throat and turned around. 

“Mattsun does that to me all the time, I swear,” he grumbled.

Oikawa had the urge to tease him, to tell him he’s silly for still being easy to sneak up on after all these years, but bit his tongue. Not hard enough, obviously.

“You keep in touch with Mattsun?”

He knew he was crossing into unspoken territory- both the men were playing a game of who can stay quiet the longest, and he was risking it by asking, but he really was curious.

“Yeah, I do.”

“How is he?”

As Oikawa asked this, he felt a hand on his back, and turned around to see Kuroo. 

“Hey, ‘Kawa. We should get back to work now, yeah? It’s getting pretty late.”

Oikawa stared thankfully at Kuroo for biting his tongue for him, and he paused before nodding quickly. 

“You’re right. Let’s get back guys, alright? I also need someone to phone up Daichi for me, but Hinata’s not here. Do you guys know if Kiyoko is in the office?”  
“I saw her earlier but she might’ve left, but I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks guys! Ciao ciao, cya in the office!”

Oikawa left with a smile and his hands held up in a peace sign as Kuroo dragged him along, the brunette as childish as ever.

Iwaizumi dropped his head and clutched shirt, ruffling up the material and making it feel like he’d ripped the shirt completely.

This job- Scratch that, 𝗢𝗶𝗸𝗮𝘄𝗮 would be the death of him.


End file.
